Smile! You're in the National Championship

ENLARGE

Alabama coach Nick Saban says he's a 'happy guy.'
Getty Images

Updated Jan. 6, 2013 3:44 p.m. ET

Monday's national-championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame, besides being the greatest football game ever and all that, is also a matchup of two coaches who will almost certainly look like they'd rather be anywhere else. In fact, the way Nick Saban sneers and Brian Kelly's face turns purple, they give the impression that misery is the secret to winning.

So here's a morose question: Can happy coaches succeed in college football?

"Happy? I don't know if that should be everybody's goal in life," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I don't sit here and say, 'You know what? My goal in life is to be happy.'"

"Probably not much thought has gone into that for most coaches," said former Miami coach Larry Coker.

Of course, not everyone in football is so crotchety. Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll managed to win two national titles at Southern California while living like a self-help guru. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier keeps sane by working out six days a week, organizing a weekly dinner for coaches' families and golfing in the off-season. He is now considered one of the sport's happiest winners.

But even Spurrier admits his well-being isn't part of the job description. "You can't be too happy," he said. "You get your butt beat pretty good if you're happy all week."

As for Saban, he acknowledged in his 2004 autobiography that he might not seem like the merriest man on the planet. "People often ask me if I am happy. I guess they don't sense that I am," he wrote. "Well, I am a happy guy." He was also asked after Alabama won the Southeastern Conference championship last month how long he would enjoy it. "I've got a couple weeks, I think," he said.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.